2023 Most Focused Colleges for Optometry in the Southwest Region
4
Ranked Colleges
247
Degrees Awarded
$25,400
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Optometry Major in the Southwest Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 1,822 people earned their degree in optometry, making the major the 194th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, optometry graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $88,635 and had an average of $0 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southwest region, there were 247 optometry graduates with average earnings and debt of $91,909 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Optometry Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in optometry. That schools that top this list have a program in optometry in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Optometry Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Optometry Major in the Southwest Region” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Schools Highly Focused on Optometry Major in the Southwest Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region optometry students.
Top 4 Most Focused Colleges for Optometry in the Southwest Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Midwestern University - Glendale. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Optometry Major in the Southwest Region. Midwestern University - Glendale is located in Glendale, Arizona and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 ’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Optometry at Midwestern University - Glendale
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of the Incarnate Word. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Optometry Major in the Southwest Region. This medium-sized school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 64 ’s optometry degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Optometry at UIW
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Optometry Major in the Southwest Region list. NSU is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 ’s optometry degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full NSU Optometry Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Houston. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Optometry Major in the Southwest Region. UH is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 105 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Optometry at University of Houston
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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